Category Archives: Amway Membership

The question that arises after you realise that you cannot do this Amway business anymore is – how do I quit Amway and get my money back? But this depends on the stage you are in. Earlier when I was a we IBO, I could convince people saying Rs995, the sign up fee, is refundable by Amway. There was a simple procedure to just return the joining kit, and IBO would get cheque to the registered address within a few weeks time. But now that joining is free, IBOs are not eligible for anything as such, if they had put time for Amway nothing in return, if he had put money in systems and affiliated education materials, strictly nothing. If there are unused products with less than 30 days invoice date, an IBO can get that money back as well. These options are quite simple for a new IBO so that his chances of making significant losses are minimal. This is how prospects get induced to join the business by Ambots. But these things do not mean much, simply because people do not really bother to have lost couple of thousand rupees in a few months time.
Now let us see what can happen to a person who put in hard yards in Amway and understands one fine day that, he cannot succeed in this forever. Let us assume, for the illustration purpose, the IBO has been core for about a year and a half, technically he has spent two years since the day of signing up the form. For the purpose of this example let us also assume, he has a wife with or without kids, as yet. Any IBO who has been core for more than a year means he would have at least sponsored about 30 IBOs as down lines. He and his spouse could have been in the inner circle of his up lines as well. At best he could be in 9% Pin level with a couple of people in his down line LOS in 6%.
So two years since the day of joining a business and you want to quit, what are consequences. What assets he could have created putting in approximately 30-40 hours a week, that translates to combined 70 hours for husband and wife, plus product and association expenses to go with it. It is important that we should put a price tag for his time. One and half year being core, about 75 weeks multiplied by seventy hours! Here I have a drastic difference of opinion with Ambots. Ambots keep saying, instead of watching TV or spending time with some recreation you get a chance to spend time on something productive with Amway. But as human being or a living being for that matter, you need to have recreation and that should be part and parcel of your life. So you can put whatever the price tag for that and you lost so much in your tenure as an IBO. One thing I would like to make it clear, no one lives and dies in Amway forever, almost every IBO WILL QUIT BEFORE THEY DIE!
If this couple could’ve spent at least 150 PV worth products every month for about 18 months and they get nothing in return because, 30 day money back guarantee does not apply for more than 30 days! By my personal experience which I have listed in my other post on this blog “How much to spend to get 6% in Amway“. So the IBO could make sense of decision to quit is better than staying because they see no light at the end of the tunnel of Amway and respective affiliated system.
But most likely that, they go to their up line and discuss with the nice heart and say we are reconsidering to continue or not in Amway. Up line is expected to say the following:

Success is right round the corner and losing focus is not the right thing

Why do you waste your one and half years effort by quitting now?

Amway is not built for necessities, you have your job but what future you can build with your job?

How many persons whom you have sponsored are active? If you have not created leaders you won’t get the success, and that takes time, you’ve got to be patient

What if lose your job?

What if your wife does not want to work?

With this inflation and world economic turmoil how will you feed your family without a secondary source of income?

Who else is there for you when you need help? BWW can build confidence in you and there are so many people who could help you for your life

You’re leaving freedom for slavery

Do not quit, you do not even stand to get a chance to succeed, just hang-in there, things will be great

If you see your down lines what will you tell them? Until yesterday you talked about building the business

What will tell a prospect who could meet you somewhere and will you say ‘I’ve quit’?

Ahh, never ending list of questions, and suddenly all negatives from your up line, but to do what? Just to scare you that, world without Amway doesn’t exist! So then and there if you have the guts to say ‘No’ and quit world could be beautiful outside Amway because you need not worry about someone else duplicating your routine And because of which you lose sleep! If you think you could create assets by building Amway business, which only handful of people could do in last fifty plus years, please do continue building your Amway downline LOS. Otherwise, chances are, you may end up losing your shape by continuing in Amway for longer period of time.

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Amway income plan has hardly any expenditure listed on it! Is it, really possible to make money without investing time as well as money? No. So we should go through a process, where we understand how much it takes to become a 6% ‘qualified’ in Amway business. 6% pin level is supposed to be the stepping stone for success. Sooner you get it sooner your destiny can be reached. My up line had told me that in first 90 days, a new IBO should become an Eagle (three working legs earning six percent, 20 people in function and 10 Standing Order Tapes/Books – when I was an IBO). That can happen only if you become 6% by yourself in the first month. Of course I could not manage that even though I had 200+ personal PVs in one month, because sponsoring and getting new people to 100 PV in couple of weeks time is not that realistic.

I will talk in INR terms for currency and PV requirement is 300 to be called as six percenter. When I was an IBO, PV:BV ratio changed about 3 times. INR50 per PV (I had not signed up that time, but had the brochures with this ratio) became INR55 (when I actually signed up), then INR 60, and when I was leaving it became INR66. This increase by Amway was defended to make inflation adjustments so that you may have to work a little harder but you also get more income. So let us see how much is 300 PV worth, in simple multiplication mathematics it should be 300*66=INR19800. However, in the business plan no one tells you, or because it is a ‘unknown unknown’ for the prospects, that MRP-16%= DAP; DAP-12% tax = BV! That means 100PV will cost an IBO ~INR7700 and the actual business volume on which the commission calculated will be only ~INR6700! When you want to sell them, your price would be ~INR9300. When the plan was shown, first question would be how much is your monthly expenses on FMCG and consumables, and prospect would have told INR6000-INR8000, thinking about his food, grocery and regular household expenses. But if you look at the Amway products, it is only laundry and personal care products which will have cost per month of INR3000 if you buy luxurious necessities! Amway does not sell groceries and vegetables, INR8000 can never happen if you only change the shop but not adding products to your life. But you may end up buy unjustifiably expensive, skincare and supplements without which more than five hundred billion people on this planet live up till sixty years of age or more.

My assumption is the person who signs up for the business becomes core IBO in two weeks time (unrealistically positive)! Once an IBO is signed up he is expected to try all the products, in first two weeks of the business and you have spent ~INR7700 and if it was an individual only, you spent at least INR5000 out of your pocket! Let us assume he has signed up in the first week of the month itself, for simplicity. Now the IBO is trying to woo customers to make another 50PV and let us assume he succeeds, and he makes a profit of ~INR750. Meanwhile his references worked out and he finds three downlines in his LOS through his up line’s effort, which can happen in most cases. Let us assume it is in the second week of the business itself. So one of them puts all 100PV but the other two say that, they will buy products only after the salary! So new IBOs hopes get dashed! Let us move to next month, assuming that, he still remains core and wants to succeed in Amway. So he has to complete his 100PV by end of first week in the month, another ~INR7700 gone! Which means he has spent ~INR10000 without really having the necessity of consumption. Honestly speaking, none of the products bought in the previous month would have been finished. Still he has to buy!

In the next month he finds a couple more downlines, one to buy 100PV and other to buy 50PV but the person who bought 100PV last month is not buying anything because he is either – not interested, not having money, skeptical because he didn’t find anyone else, he just wants to sell some 50PV and then only will buy again, so on and so forth… But because this IBO already has personally bought 250PV in 6weeks in the business he can not buy for his personal usage anymore. Let us assume he finds another customer for 25PV and makes ~INR400 profit. But End of the month, runs out of money to get to 300PV. but ends again at 250PV second month complete. Let us assume, he has put in 15 hours a week for six weeks i.e. 90 hours and has also attended one BBS (business building seminar) and five open opportunity meetings and attended five home meetings in up lines house – in two months time this happens to any IBOs who are active; forget about the nine core steps are completely followed or not. In the second month he could have been advised to invest on some business building tools worth ~INR500 and also ~INR3000 for standing order program as per his trusted up line’s advise and with a goal to achieve Eagle qualification. All in all, this should add up to ~INR5000 including travelling charges and remind you 90hours effort.

In the third month, the core IBO is slightly worried because he has stocked up 175PV products and has only ~1150 profits to show. He does nothing and by the end of month somehow up line catches him to attend yet another major function and he spends ~INR2500 (does not buy a brand new suit for the function!). My up line used to tell me, after every major function, all core IBOs change pins. So, let us assume that, after the major function, this core IBO somehow sponsors four people afresh. In the following month, effectively fourth month after he signed up, and gets the IBOs in his LOS to do 200PV. With all his skill and effort, he manages to put another 150PV with retail profit of ~INR750. So he gets to 350PV and he receives 6% off ~INR23100 to make it ~INR1386 as Amway commission. We need to add the two more months of effort, so let us remain with Amway plan 12-15 hours a week, so another six weeks (assume he did nothing in two weeks before major function) 90 hours. After major function he attends four more open meetings, tries to help new IBOs and hence spends more on petrol etc., does buy at least ~INR1000 CDs and books to give to downlines.

Let us add the income first, ~INR750(first month)+~INR400(second month)+~INR750(fourth month) = ~INR1900 retail profits and add ~INR1386 from commission – let us assume best case scenario of INR3300 in revenue. He spent 90 hours in four months, in job he gets paid INR150 per hour so, let us assume his cost of time is ~INR13000. Excess consumption of products ~INR15000 and another ~INR12000 on tools, travelling expenses as listed above. So monetary investment of nearly INR30000 and return is INR3300 and they call it a business! Bu is there a fraction of asset which can yeild income in future? No.
What is so great Amway to begin with? Of course core IBOs know that nothing can happen in 12-15 hours of efforts in a week 🙂

This is the most vital step I would call where the teaching from affiliated education systems matter a lot. This where the raw-material of MLM comes from. Let us analyse how exactly a person who was ambitious to achieve something in his life with a great academic qualifications would end up getting tricked into MLM. There are two scenarios – one you get referred by your own friend/colleague/acquaintance; other one you were contacted in shopping mall, or while travelling or something like that.

Let us see what happens in the first scenario, which I can relate through the experience. I was a young and ambitious guy and I had colleague of mine who supposedly wore a smiling face all the time. He looked really nice to work with, he handled many difficult situations in the office, looked really matured, never involved in gossiping and he looked fantastic. His academic knowledge is phenomenal and many aspire to have, including me. He called me one-day telling me that, he has some work near to the place I stay in the city and he asked if he could come and speak with me on something important. I said ‘OK, you are welcome’. He came to the house, showed the 6-4-3 plan and started talking about people in Amway who retired at the age of 29, studied in world-class institutes and also who have had patents to their name in their respective careers. Showed some amazing (looking) product demos but asked me for sign up with Rs 4400 which I declined. He sold me a few products and after one year I signed up for Amway, knowingly and by then Amway had reduced the joining fees to Rs 995! He had told me, ‘why are wasting money by buying products as a customer but not pro-sumer?’ Looked sensible, but I missed the plot here. I didn’t take that seriously when I joined; but later, because of his trained people skills he could plug me into the system. Once an IBO who wants to make money gets into the system, he loses his mind and to an extent he forgets to ask questions – I didn’t ask many either. Why shouldn’t I trust a person whom I knew for two years?! Friends trust each other to get into MLM, sad but true. This is a typical way of getting tricked into Amway or MLM from a person whom you already knew and had trust with.

Let us see what happens in second scenario which is more often than that of the first one. Mostly you meet a sharp-looking person as part of their contacting. [This may apply when a friend of yours has joined Amway and has given his list contacts to his sponsoring/working up line]. You have a casual talk and end up exchanging contact numbers, and soon after numbers exchanged you may not see his head 🙂 Later on after couple of days, you receive a call which seems general but, as a prospect you do not know that it was trained set of sentences! Typically, the person (sponsoring IBO) will say, ‘I wanted to speak to you something specific, do you have a couple of minutes?’. Mostly you will say yeah go ahead, depending on the situation. He will either introduce himself with the qualifications and the job experience or simply start telling – ‘we, and a few like-minded friends working in IT industry (Indian scenario) are running a business along with our jobs without disturbing it, would like to expand the same with a few like-minded ambitious sharp people who also do not want to quit their jobs but to do some business to earn extra income. Would you be interested to know more on this?’.

You would typically respond, ‘Yes/No/More Info’. Again comes the ready made answer, ‘we are running an e-commerce/private franchising business, but even though we work in IT industry we do not do anything technical in it. We have affiliations to a few Fortune 500 companies, in retail, health care and banking industries.’ You typically ask ‘yeah but what is the investment’. Reply would come automatically ‘we are already very well capitalised, and hence we are not looking for an investment from your side’. You will generally ask what else is the thing, can’t understand. He will say, I didn’t call you if you will join hands but I called you to check your interest, I recommend we should meet and discuss, because we do not know whether our ideas match or not, we meeting does not have commitments from either side. So sensible it looks for prospect.

If it is home meeting you may get an invite as business presentation at his senior partner’s house or else you meet wherever convenient and mostly they avoid public places as it is difficult to show toothpaste and home care demo. When we go to the presentation, the presentation is designed to make you not to understand anything. Then in the plan more talk will be about concentrated products, Forbes listing, and some success stories. Your questions will be how can I make it. Some people make futile attempts, by asking ‘how much money do you make?’. And ready made, answers and people skills books give, ‘it is not about how much money I make, but it is about how much money you want to make. There are enough people who succeeded in this and you can meet successful people one-on-one’. But most of the questions are already driven by IBOs, so prospects ask only those where IBOs already have a ready made answers! Products expensive, etc will also have answers. IBOs generally have nice suiting, nice trustworthy smiles, speaking with assertiveness, and other people skill trainings ensure, prospects do not dare to ask profit and loss account or balance sheets of any Ambots.

Another reason for not asking for financial statements is, most of the prospects do not understand the practicalities of the business. When they’re encountered with these trained Ambots or MLM cults, they end up thinking about big dreams rather than practical business issues. Hope I have given some elementary insights about MLM recruiting tactics, and also hope that after reading this you get some solid thought process. I have nothing against Amway but ensure that you are not the one who repent joining it!

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In every counselling session biggest thing that was talked about was an ‘IBO being productive’. It was a sensible thing as success is associated with productivity. But later I realised that many things to not becôme part of being productive. Contacting, inviting For appointment, all education related time spent aren’t part of productivity! Let us check how many education related events do we have in Amway? Many of them – weekly open meeting, contacting, phone meeting,product awareness and system education weekly meetings, up line counselling at least twice a week, monthly BBS (business building seminars) twice a year FED(free enterprise day) and summer conferences, Amway arranged training a such as insurance and other product trainings, last but not the least ‘night owls’ from your uplines and any other things your LOS promotes. Such huge list of things associated with so much cost is not productive!
Now let us come to end of the calendar year mega function FED and the leader is the one who can promote it big time. I suggest all core IBOs also to spend some time with your family instead spending time shouting in yet another unproductive education meeting. Open google and search for one day holiday program in the nearest of your area and enjoy yourself. Because most of the IBOs who have committed their life for Amway I recommend you spend time with each other as a couple. No upline can give you back the time you spent in your life. If you have decided to be in Amway for ever it is fine, but do not do something which is not productive like attending meetings.
If you do not have any appointment with prospects just do not spend Rs 750 for each, and also travelling charges of another possibly Rs 1000 which should be added with possibly another Rs1000 for accommodation and food.
If someone is reading this post being a prospect or an IBO who has not attended any of the such events before I will tell you what is expected there. Mostly you will be thrilled by hospitality fro your up lines and other cross lines being a new comer. You may either go by train or a privately booked bus. When we went, no sleep at all as if to say all of us had achieved passive income and financial freedom. Then, even though it is a winter you are expected finish your routine and be there in the queue by as early as 6.30am! We were surprised to see our up line who was at the higher pin managed to come a little late as he had front row reserved being in higher pin. He earned that it seems. So sitting in the front row with a reservation is an achievement forget the money and time you spend to make that. Once you enter the auditorium you will be escorted to the nearest row available to the stage so that you can be a deaf by the time function gets over. So function will start with deafening cheers without any reasons. In fact there will dancing and shouting sessions by experts! There will be diamond parade with lots of slide shows of mansions and beaches of the world. Then various diamonds will either tell their own so called success stories or they will teach you how to do this business but it will same old nine core steps, cardinal rules and four basics. In between there will be a tools counter and you can buy more CDs and books to impress your upline and increase your credit card bill. So at the end of the function there will be thank you session possibly national anthem and so on. Looking at thousands of people shouting most prospects end up signing or if your an IBO you may devote more time in following couple of months.
At the end of the function your upline will hold a quick meeting. You can expect a ready made question “what did you like the most” and then “it is a very simple business, you saw The crowd right” and stuff like that. Trust me there was nothing productive there, and if you want to do Amway business also use your brain where is the direct correlation between efforts and returns. These functions will keep coming but you may not get your life back. I recommend you give real critical look before you decide agree for big function promos.

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I am not talking about the old story of Amway raids but the latest that happened on 9th November 2012, in Kerala state, India. Kerala has been quite stringent on MLM companies historically. When I was an IBO similar raids were conducted and it so happened that Amway abolished the joining fee and also changed PV activation rules. Of course they still have renewal fee in the form of Rs 480 (early renewals), Rs 795 (till December) and Rs 995 (late renewal). I have no idea what kind of issues were fixed when they abolished Rs 4500 odd joining cost. I have been hearing lots of pro and anti NMart stories and also problems faced by MonaVie. There were troubles for other MLM companies such as RCM and RMP. There should be more to the list but I do not know their names, but all in all India government is waking up and bureaucracy is at least taking complaints on fraudsters and dream sellers!

So if everything were legitimate in Amway, why so many alterations? Why a company’s senior members are booked in heavy offence cases? Ambots may have good defense for these let us wait and watch. The issue seems to be surrounding at an incident where an IBO was reportedly advised to buy hefty amount of products and returns weren’t accepted. I am not interested to go to the details at all. I remember in one of my previous posts I talked about the Amway propaganda of being right in MLM (they do not even want themselves to called an MLM company). Their India business cheif and several other pro Amway dignitories came boasting about Amway. So, it just says, someone coming on a TV channel and talking about direct selling business regulation does not mean they’re doing it the right way? I had pointed out that, there was no argument and counter argument kind of discussion but it looked like some topics were to be talked about moderator kept giving out the pointers for the participants to talk.

Amway has done that historically, ask no questions. Lights flashed, oozing screens and roaring people, first time entrants start believing that. Amway business is worth nothing, no assets created but the way it is boasted is so much that people sign up with amazement rather than like getting into a business. So the culture of ‘do not ask, just follow up line’ continues. Of course Amway has had government backing in various countries across the world but does that mean that, it is a legitimate option for life time, I doubt that. I honestly feel all kinds of MLM schemes are nightmares for the public and I heard once from my beloved shopkeeper – everyone else do cheat and it is known thing, but MLM and especially cheating is never documented well enough. I endorse the idea too. Personally I would like to see my great retired up lines coming back in the queue for jobs especially standing in open interviews, what a scene that would be 🙂 Meanwhile, I noticed no improvements of Pin levels for my former working up line and so all the best for a great ambitious couple.

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Every now and then we see new products launched and lots of IBOs push hard for themselves and their team to ensure they have the latest offer at their shelf for self use and retail. It is indeed a great opportunity from a consumer perspective most of the time. However, all the offers do not increase product quantity for the same price, even though sometimes they do. The offers would also include a gift item which may or may not be useful for a particular IBO. But mostly, everyone is expected to have multiple number of products at home in the first week of launch.

I have no grudge against the company policy but I have problems with the way it is handled by LOS up lines on their downlines. Most of the up lines force their downlines to buy at least three pieces of products on each offer. Let us say there are offers launching by second week of the month, usually it happens during the second week only, IBOs are expected to buy. However, by first week every IBO is expected complete his personal 100 PV. The new offer products are told to be bought if you want to show your downlines as core. That should account for about 50 PV or even more, and you had already “put” your 100 PV in the beginning of the month. That considering the fact that, the existing products must at least last for more than couple of months you need to find customers to buy worth 150 PV. Quite understandable. But when a retail is completed you need to replace the products on your shelf! That means you buy again for anything that was sold to retail customers.

Then comes month end, and there is a goal to fight for. It may not be your own goal, it might be your LOS up line goal that you’re fighting for. Let us say he needs to re-qualify his 10,000 PV and he is short by 1500 on the last day of the month. I got a call in many months on or about 10 PM of the last day asking to put PVs. Many foolish IBOs, including myself, would belive that, someone else will also do for them. So “put” PV again. How much is the amount? I do not know but it could be about Rs 5,000-Rs 10,000! Without having any customer and literally no requirements to buy for themselves faithful IBOs put PVs and money with a blind hope of someone else replicating. When such things happen to IBOs, let us say next two months they fail to hit their own PV goal then comes mental trauma. What else do I need to do to succeed? This question was answered by my up line saying – ‘you’re on the right track, just keep doing the same, more and more’. Products will have offers, but IBOs need to use their brains while they swipe their credit cards.

I think biggest reason why many people still end up being sucked out in Amway because, they cannot simply quit. They have fear from everywhere! If you go and stand in front your great up line, he tells this is not the time you should quit. Success is round the corner and possibly the famous story of a farmer who dug the land so much so that, he was fed up and sold it to some businessman. And the businessman took about a month’s time to dig gold out of the same land. Honestly speaking, that is yet another plain lie from your beloved up line. It happened to me when I went there and said – I quit, and I was throwing out all the CDs and books on his floor telling him that I would never come back. But he continued to tell me that, I was going from freedom to slavery and started talking negative stuff such as my wife not going to work, company throwing me out of job, so many negatives!

Anything outside Amway was negative and I was ready to quit seeing enough of Amway opportunity! Finally I quit and now my life is so full of activities and people around the world are still there. I do have enough to spend my time the way I want. I enjoy reading news and following sports and also love my family time – I had missed all of them in two years with so-called dream-builders. Let us come to money part and for me it is the single most reason, to do or not to do which is called business. I do not spend on expensive FMCG anymore means I have at least 30% savings right away! For example, for Rs 26 to Rs 30 we get very good bath soaps weighing about 100gms and 75g Persona used to cost Rs 40 and it was boasted that, BMW cannot be compared with Maruti Alto. Why do we need to spend so much on day-to-day products.

I am still alive without supplements, and we enjoy more fruits and vegetables as we do not spend Rs 100 on daily basis unlike being core IBOs. If you are spending more than Rs 50,000/- brand, longevity, perfect performance and stuff do matter. But FMCG experience is always supposed to be with various products and we are not in jail to have same soap, shampoo, tooth paste forever! My wife is happy to try out new products in cosmetics and not the ever so same luxuries which we never wanted. We can sleep at night 10 O’Clock and no guilty feeling, we can have food wherever we want. I can travel by bus without having to search for contacts and do not have to feel guilty if I do not get one. Especially first few days the feeling was awesome – kind of out of jail, out of restrictions!

I do not have to share my finances, my head to toe decisions and stuff with my up line anymore. I do not have to work to impress my up line, and do not have to bother duplication anymore. I still read books and they are not recommended by system, I attend seminars that are not based on selling tickets, I say hello to new people but no intentions to show the plan, sign up to Amway. I listen to teachings but they are case by case basis. I can decide to download free e-books on the net, watch YouTube for learning new things and I do not have to worry about down lines duplicating, because Amway systems do not allow you to copy CDs without buying, and even if the e-books are available free of cost, still IBOs are expected to buy. I do not have to say harsh words to anyone who did not become customer or sign up for Amway business. Now I know that business is a duplication of behaviour true but not every activity. For example, Henry Ford, never knew everything about car – complicated engineering to complete designing – but he knew how to get form an organisation that could fill every gap. In Amway if you do not know something as an IBO, your down lines may ignore the same and your business may not run! I want to tell that, being rich is not the only thing in life, and even if it is so, Amway is not the only way to achieve it.

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I firmly believe that there are always positive and negative sides for anything. Lets us have brief look at what Amway affiliated systems such as, TEAM, N21, WWDB or BWW in terms of impact on the success of an IBO. When a prospect signs up as an IBO there is high chance that he must have been approached by an IBO who is already following a particular system. It is obvious that the prospect ends up getting affiliated to same system that his up line IBO belongs to. I wanted to talk about this simply because I could find enough instances on the internet where a few the former IBOs told that they went platinum without being in the system and when I was an IBO, I was told that inside the ‘system’ 100% success rate outside the system 0% success rate.

To certain extent I agree that, systems are necessary for an IBO. For example, the system keeps the IBOs united to be called as an organisation. If you do not have a set of people who are so-called successful, there is no way you can show someone who, are already in this form of direct marketing business. As an IBO being fresh, you may not know how to talk appropriately about the business. A new IBO may find it difficult to explain to prospects on his own unless learnt and the learning may come from the one who has done it before. Similarly it matters as to how the message is getting conveyed to a prospect, if you do not know one, mostly you end up sponsoring none. Therefore, in the initial stages of an IBO it does help to have a tried and tested method that works and taught and learnt with enthusiasm.

However, why there are so many IBOs who quit always come back and start complaining about the system, and of course a little about Amway too. It is because the system does make you to do things which IBOs do not want in the name of success probability and most cases because of the design of the business IBOs end up not making any money or mostly losing too much over a period of time. IBOs are expected to attend every meeting – Weekly Open meeting, so called weekly PACE meeting at your up lines house, phone meeting, product training, monthly BBS, twice a year mega functions, all at their own expense even though while recruiting up line tells that, you get into the business and only expense is product which you use for home. So on the face of it no one knows all the expenses involved. Systems also ask you to buy books and CDs regularly so that you can loan it to new IBOs or offer to prospects when you show the plan. Some groups also ask IBOs to give samples when they go for demo.

Next comes up line counselling, cover dish and so on provided you are doing everything that is told. Any time your up line calls you, you should almost fall on his feet with agreement for whatever he says. He says switch job, do not take up oversees assignments in your job, always buy expensive branded apparel and other stuff and so on. Everything he tells you do it and CDs continue to say that, if you are not able to do the business that’s your fault. So by now IBO must have spent so much money being core and made really nothing because, end of the day, Amway products are too expensive to be called FMCG – I call them luxurious FMCG – and they do last more than a month and hence you need to find new customers every month. This is when a core IBO who wanted to make money from Amway leaves. Of course system is necessary in initial stages but not to an extent you attend 52 into number of weekly meetings, plus many other issues mentioned just before. Core IBOs either must have lost the ability to think independently or else they are out of the business soon enough. Because if you have some brain to think independently next moment you would quit Amway business or for that matter any MLM on earth.

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In my early days I was told that Amway can get people into depressed mental state. I did not understand much during that time, as my thinking was, ‘you have to use Amway products to build business and use system tools for building yourself’. Quite a sacred feeling is it not? But what happens in reality is not shown in any of Amway plans. Once you join the business you are expected to be part of ninety days eagle qualification program. That never happens to anyone or even if it happens it cannot be generalized because 99% of IBOs do not get eagle done in the said time frame. So most of the IBOs fail then and there itself.

First month of joining the business you are expected to reach or qualify 6% which is equal to 300 PV. Unfortunately new IBOs fail to recognize out of 300 PV the new IBO is expected to do 150 PV sign up two-three friends and get 300 PV done. In India 300 PV costs about Rs 22,500. Human beings mostly look for recognition and that has not been made available everywhere. Therefore, when you join the business, you will like that part of recognition and being in the part of bandwagon. IBOs fail to realize you need not buy Rs 20,000 or more worth of FMCG goods for your family. If you say so, your up-line will come with a nice smile to say ‘you use all the products once, if you like it you continue otherwise you can return’. So in the first month itself without even realising you’re brainwashed to buy what you do not need and you start thinking you’re doing the right way.

For very few people 300PV might happen in the first month and then they start going regularly to the function. Once you start associating with people who follow the system you’re bound to hear lots and lots of things. This is the step where you start getting recognised for doing some PV or showing some plans and so on. More you listen to outside of the LOS more they ask you to listen to up-lines. So IBOs start taking that seriously, with which they are very much into the system. This mental attachment automatically makes the IBOs to come to the meeting. Here is where the skepticism goes off and real cultish mentality steps in. They start thinking that, everyone outside Amway are foolish and these are the only set of people who drive life. Let us say, this is about three months, and by now you should have been eagle. You’re not an eagle but still you’re nicely received by your up-line. But sooner than later you should qualify to 9% and by then you would have missed couple of PV goals or some LOS diamond promotions. Now that you have gone to so many meetings, you end up thinking that, every positive result is attributed to system and negative is because of your own failure.

When you start doing contacting if you are able to achieve none or only couple of them, your up line will tell you, ‘you need to believe that you can do five contacts everyday’. ‘If it is not happening, it is the problem with your belief, don’t you see so many people on stage getting recognised for contacting?’. First step in torturing is right here! Then comes, calling and fixing appointing for meetings. If the meeting is getting cancelled often, means you are not believing well enough! If you are lack conviction you cannot sign up prospects! What a shame, just by having mental thought process you get more contacts, can sign up people, and so on? Then why to do the work, sit at home do meditation right? Belief is not everything! Amway has such an unreasonable compensation plan and a very ordinary name to go with it, whatever shown in the business plan or told from the stage never materialises. More you listen to those more isolated you are! Counselling is another story!

Like this:

Here we go! Claims after claims on quitters and on prospects who decline to join and the worst of all was a claim made by my up line last week over my former downline. I am going to narrate what happened when my up line called the downline who had quit almost along with me. Let us see that downline’s profile – a person who works during night shift all the time and has his weekly holidays not on Saturdays and Sundays but during the middle of the week, not married so not a readymade 100PV per month, stays in a paying guest kind of an accommodation, has his education loan outstanding, was showing a few plans here and there, irregularly regular to functions and system tools, and all importantly my up line had called him as ‘I replaced him already from my list, you can not build business based on his commitments, sponsor more in width outside his group/depth’.

I had told this person that, boss this September and our up line is likely to call you to renew your subscription. He did not believe me because he had told my up line about his disinterest a few months back. So my so called silver qualified up line called this person and started with a casual talk – which was also expected, ‘hi, how are you long time, how is work’ etc. Then he started with ‘what would you do if you do not do Amway?’. My downline replied, ‘I don’t think I can do Amway business with my schedule and if I have to put so much effort – which is well beyond 12-15 hours a week part time – I can do anything and succeed’. This made my up line angry it seems. He ended up shouting what can you do man, the income in your job that you get entire year, our diamond can make in ten days! This was a fatal remark from a so called humble guy, speaks nice, excuses people, has leadership quality of forgiveness and moving on, follows system to the core where it is taught – never hurt someone’s ego, work in noble cause and add whatever so called ideal things to follow. Until then my down line was not that perturbed, but this remark put my down line on to offensive. He replied, ‘world is not flat, each person is different and will have different background and opportunities, whatever Amway diamond can make in a year, Bill Gates can make in ten days as well, but I cannot start another Microsoft’. My greatest up line had no answer for that, and he started with other things. Why do not use supplements for your mother and yourself this that and stories knowing that they cannot afford 50PV products every month consistently. This indicated one thing, he was so desperate to get fifty PVs from an IBO who had never done much and was already out of the business.

I remember posting another article saying – Do not whine about quitters in this blog a few months back. I mentioned how my up line tortured me not to talk about a new or old IBO who quit or did not do anything. Remember, I was not a so called leader in Amway – being at 6%, but what about the great leader who achieved silver pin and was an Eagle by that time parameters. I continue to write this blog not to influence your decision, but if you have brain you can see how badly Amway cults are Hippocratic. I cannot argue with any Amway apologists when it comes to argument per se, but in reality – Amway opportunity and it’s cult teaching systems are worst ever. This is the reason why my blog has the title – Financial Suicide (which also includes mental disorder). I cannot use bad words here, but I know how dark people are in Amway business and do not allow them to rule your life before you realize. No one does something for nothing!